Program table displaying apparatus

• US 5,517,254 A
• Filed: 08/04/1994
• Issued: 05/14/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Henmi, Hidemi, Hirashima, Masayoshi, Monta, Hiroki
• Primary Examiner(s): Groody, James J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Burgess, Glenton B.
• Application Number:
  US08/285,807
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 348/569, 348/563, 348/468, 348/473, 348/6, 348/12, 348/13, 348/7, 348/906, 358/335, 360/27, 360/15, 360/55, 360/79, 360/33.1
• US Class Current: 348/569
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4888 for displaying teletext characters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0884 for the transmission of additional display-information, e.g. menu for programme or channel selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals

Abstract

A program table displaying apparatus includes a display controlling apparatus for displaying a program table for a plurality of programs in a table on a display. The table has a horizontal row with a channel number identifying a channel corresponding to one of the programs and a vertical row with a time number for the channel. The television program table is derived from a plurality teletext broadcasts. Also included is a program reserving apparatus for reserving a desired program by selecting one of the programs. A time comparing apparatus is further provided for comparing a current displayed time frame and the time number for the channel to determine if there is a corresponding program for the displayed time frame. Further provided is a minute information extracting device for extracting minute data corresponding to said corresponding program. A program title extracting apparatus is also included for extracting a program title corresponding to the corresponding program and a number of rows calculating apparatus is provided for calculating a number of rows from the minute data and the number of letters in the program title. Finally, a time frame determining apparatus is included for determining a corresponding time frame from the calculated number of rows.

Claims

1. A program table displaying apparatus comprising:

display controlling means for displaying a program table derived from a plurality of teletext broadcasts, said program table including

(a) a plurality of programs,

(b) a plurality of channel numbers corresponding to respective ones of said plurality of programs, and

(c) a plurality of time numbers corresponding to respective ones of said plurality of programs;

program reserving means for reserving a desired program to be recorded by selecting one of said plurality of programs included in said program table;

time comparing means for comparing a selected time frame with a first channel of said plurality of channels to determine if one of said time numbers corresponding to one of said plurality of programs on said first channel corresponds to said selected time frame to ascertain if there is a corresponding program;

minute information extracting means for extracting minute data for said corresponding program;

program title extracting means for extracting a program title corresponding to said corresponding program, said program title having a number of letters;

number of rows calculating means for calculating a calculated area of said program table to include said corresponding program having said program title; and

time frame determining means, using said calculated area, for determining an overall size of said program table to include said corresponding program.

3. A program table displaying apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said display controlling means comprises:

number of horizontal picture elements doubling means for doubling a dot frequency and for doubling a number of horizontal picture elements of the program table;

number of scanning lines doubling means for doubling a number of scanning lines of the program table by interlacing; and

fount compressing means for reducing the size of teletext broadcast letters received from said plurality of teletext broadcast to be included in said program table.

2. A program table displaying apparatus comprising:

display controlling means for displaying a program table derived from a plurality of teletext broadcasts, said teletext broadcasts having station name data corresponding to a plurality of programs, said program table including

(a) a plurality of programs;

(b) a plurality of channel numbers corresponding to respective ones of said plurality of programs; and

(c) a plurality of time numbers corresponding to respective ones of said plurality of programs;

program reserving means for reserving a desired program to be recorded by selecting one of said plurality of programs in said program table;

broadcasting station name extracting means for extracting a station name from said station name data and for displaying said station name on said display means in said program table;

number of rows calculating means for calculating a calculated area of said program table to include a program having a program title; and

time frame determining means, using said calculated area, for determining an overall size of said program table to include said program having a program title.

4. A program table displaying apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein said display controlling means comprises:

number of horizontal picture elements doubling means for doubling a dot frequency and for doubling a number of horizontal picture elements of the program table;

number of scanning lines doubling means for doubling a number of scanning lines of the program table by interlacing; and

fount compressing means for reducing the size of teletext broadcast letters received from said plurality of teletext broadcast to be included in said program table.

5. A program table displaying apparatus comprising:

display controlling means for displaying a program table derived from a plurality of teletext broadcasts, said program table including

(a) a plurality of programs;

(b) a plurality of channel numbers corresponding to respective ones of said plurality of programs; and

(c) a plurality of time numbers corresponding to respective ones of said plurality of programs;

program reserving means for reserving a desired program to be recorded by selecting one of said plurality of programs;

frequency per reserved program calculating and storing means for calculating the frequency one of said plurality of programs is reserved;

reserved program priority determining means for determining a priority of reserved programs based on the frequency calculated by said frequency per reserved program calculating and storing means; and

color processing means for highlighting said one of said plurality of programs in said program table if the priority of said one of said plurality of programs is a high priority.

6. A program table displaying apparatus comprising:

display controlling means for displaying a program table derived from a plurality of teletext broadcasts which have been one of (1) previously received and stored and (2) currently being received, said program table including

(a) a plurality of programs;

(b) a plurality of channel numbers corresponding to respective ones of said plurality of programs, said plurality of channel numbers arranged in said program table according to a priority order; and

(c) a plurality of time numbers corresponding to respective ones of said plurality of programs;

program reserving means for reserving a desired program to be recorded by selecting one of said plurality of programs;

frequency per reserved program calculating and recording means for calculating a frequency that one of said plurality of programs is reserved;

channel number priority determining means, using the calculated frequency, for determining a channel priority of said plurality of channels; and

channel number priority changing means, in response to said channel priority, for changing the priority order of said plurality of channels in said program table.

7. A program table displaying apparatus comprising:

display controlling means for displaying a program table derived from a plurality of teletext broadcasts, said program table including

(a) a plurality of programs;

(b) a plurality of channel numbers corresponding to respective ones of said plurality of programs; and

(c) a plurality of time numbers corresponding to respective ones of said plurality of programs;

program reserving means for reserving a desired program to be recorded by selecting one of said plurality of programs;

frequency per reserved program calculating and recording means for calculating a frequency that one of said plurality of programs is reserved;

reserved program priority determining means for determining if one of said plurality of programs has a high priority based on the calculated frequency; and

user'"'"'s own channel making means for creating a user'"'"'s exclusive program table by grouping the programs with a high priority in a specified area of said program table.